An unemployed was charged in the Magistrate's Court in Kuching today with the murder of prominent lawyer Fabian Lim Ann Hoaw about three weeks ago.

Lim Kiang Chai, 35, of Sibu, is alleged to have caused Lim's death, with others still at large, in front of a food court in Jalan Rubber in the heart of Kuching City at about 6.15 pm on Feb 18. No plea was recorded.

According to a Bernama report, Magistrate Mohamed Faizi Che Abu ordered that he be remanded pending mention on April 9.

High-profile case

The accused was arrested with an Indonesian woman on March 2 at his house in Sungai Merah, Sibu, following a tip-off and flown here under heavy escort the same day.

The 57-year-old lawyer and co-partner of Lim and Lim Advocates here, was gunned down as he was reversing his car to leave the food court, which was about 200m from his law firm.

The lawyer's murder has turned into a high-profile case with rumours circulating in Sarawak of the involvement of prominent businessmen.